Cap



Sept. 6, 1969 E. M. EADY 3,467,270

CAP

Filed Aug. 5, 1967 INVENTOR. 50351.4 MEADY CAR OTHERS CA :0 mm:

H15 ATTORNEYS United States Patent CAP Edsell M. Eady, Butler Township, Butler County, Pa., assignor to Robert M. Hall, Santa Barbara, Calif. Filed Aug. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 658,081 Int. Cl. B65d 53/00 U.S. Cl. 215--40 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cap structure provided for connection to at least two diiferent sizes of conventional bottle openings of solution-containing containers having fitments the first of which permits the entrance of gas into the connected container through a flutter check valve to replace the solution permitted to flow from a second fitment. The fitments are provided with aligned annular ribs to provide impervious sealed engagement with tubular members connected therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention Description of prior art Cap structures of the past have not provided good sealing engagement impervious to liquid between the cap structure and the connecting solution container, between the gas inlet means and cap fitment, or between the solution outlet fitment and the dispensing tubing for transmitting the solution to the area of application.

The cap structure comprising this invention provides impervious sealed engagement at these sealing points without the necessity of using a solvent seal or resin cement. An example of a cap structure of the prior art is 3,216,418 wherein the cap appended tubing is glued by a solvent to the cap structure. Such a connection demands a high assurance of complete sealing with the solvent at these points which assurance is not always found especially after a cap structure and its appended tubing have been placed through a sterilized treatment.

Furthermore, the use of a ball check valve to permit inward passage of gas to replace the solution in container that is dispensed, does not provide a complete impervious seal with its valve seat.

A rectal tip having annular serrations may be cemented with good permanent bond to the dispensing tubing such as shown in my co-pending application in which I am a joint inventor, Ser. No. 552,153, filed May 23, 1?6 6. However, such a connection does not permit versatihty in utilization of the same cap structure for connection with solution-containing bottles or containers each having diflerent size openings like that of the cap structure of the present invention.

Summary of invention The present invention provides a sterilizable cap structure for threaded engagement with one or more types of standard irrigation or parenteral bottles irrespective of the standard diameter, such as 28 mm. and 38 mm., of

the threaded bottle neck. Such bottles are used for the gravitational dispensing and administration 'of fluids and thus, during such dispensing, are in an inverted position.

Another principle of the present invention is the provision of fitments in the cap structure to provide necessary passages to, through, and from the cap structure and having annular aligned abutments to provide impervious sealed engagement with appended tubular members without the necessity of a sealing solvent or bonding cement to provide a connection at this point.

Another principle of the present invention is the provision of a check valve designated as a flutter valve which comprises pliable flats of plastic material hermetically sealed or stitched together along their longitudinal edges to provide an opening at one end in the form of a slit, the other end of which is sealed to a tubular member for engagement with a ribbed fitment. The flutter flats may be sealed or stitched in a slight prestretched condition.

Other objects and advantages of this invention appear hereinafter in the following description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification without limiting the present invention and claims thereto, certain practical embodiments illustrating the nature and principles of this invention and application thereof wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the cap structure comprising this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the flutter valve used in conjunction with the cap structure.

FIG. 3 is a modified form of the structure used to provide an impervious sealed engagement between appended tubular members and the cap structure comprising this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the cap 1 comprising this invention is provided with a body 2 comprised of two or more cavities 3 and 4. Body cavity 3 has a bottom 5 and a wall section 6. Body cavity 4 has a bottom 7, the center of which is the entrance to body cavity 3, and has a Wall section 8.

The bottoms 5 and 7 are provided with an annular rib 10 substantially adjacent to the wall sections 6 and 8, respectively.

The wall sections 6 and 8 are provided with threads 11 on their inner surfaces for threaded engagement with corresponding threads on a standard solution-containing bottle (not shown) upon which the cap is placed. The annular ribs 10 are pliable and are slightly compressed upon threaded engagement of the cap 1 with a threaded bottle neck, the compression brought about by the annular bottle neck end in engagement with a resilient rib 10.

No matter which threaded cavity 3 or 4 is to be utilized, the fitments 12 and 13 will provided passages to and from the interior of the bottle or container to be threadably connected to the cap.

The fitment 13 has a passage 14 to permit the entrance of air or a sterilized gas into the interior of a connected bottle for replacement of the solution being dispensed therefrom. The gas enters at the inlet 15 and proceeds through the passage and through the flutter valve 16 which functions as a check valve. This gas inlet fitment 13 is of extended length as compared to fitment 12 in order to insure that the gas inlet is always maintained at a higher level than the solution outlet 20. In the gravitational dispensing and administering of fluids for irrigational or parenteral purposes, it is important that there is no possibility of the solution replacement gas escaping with the solution or fluid being dispensed from the bottle through the solution outlet. In the case of parenteral purposes, entrapped gases in the fluid dispensed may be hazardous to the human body and even fatal. In the case of irrigational purposes, entrapped gases in the fluid dispensed will cause disruption of the administration of such fluids and cause uneven dispensing of the fluid flow from the irrigator nozzle.

Each of the fitments 12 and 13 are provided with aligned annular ribs 17 and 18. These ribs may take a cross-sectional form of semicircular nature or may be provided with many corners such as a cross-section in the nature of semi-polygonal structure.

In the case of fitment 12, the annular ribs 17 and 18 provide impervious sealed engagement with the collar 20 of the flexible dispensing tube 21. The tubing 21 is drawn through the cap outlet 22 and the annular rib 17 engages the outer surfaces of the collar 20 to cause an annular detent in the same. This not only provides grasping engagement of the tubing 21 by the fitment 12 but also provides a labyrinth path to any fluid leakage between the fitment 12 and the tubing 21. Thus, an impervious seal is provided by the rib structure.

The shoulder 23 of the collar 20 seals against the other annular rib 18 and thus provides still further sealed engagement of the tubing 21 with the fitment 12, and at the same time functions as a stop or limit for the collar 20 to prevent the tubing 21 from being readily disengaged from the fitment 12.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a sectional view of a modified form of the fitment 12, designated here as 12'. The fitment 12' comprises the outlet 22 and the annular shoulder abutrnents 24 which end in the shoulder 25. Thus, the tubing 21 together with its collar 20 is inserted through the cap structure 1, through the outlet 22' until the collar 20 forcibly engages the annular abutrnents 24 and the shoulder 23 of the collar 20 seats on the fitment shoulder 25. The annular abutrnents 24 not only grip the collar 20 but also provide an impervious surface seal between the inner surfaces of the fitment 12 of the collar 20.

In FIG. 2 there is shown the check valve used in connection with the cap comprising this invention and is readily referred to as a flutter valve. Flutter valve 16 comprises a tubular portion 26 for impervious sealed engagement on the fitment 13 with the annular ribs 17 and 18. The outer portion 27 of the flutter or check valve 16 consists of two pliable flats 28 and 30 with their longitudinal edges 31 sealed or stitched together such as by a heat contact process in the case of pliable, plastic material such as a polyvinyl or other similar material. The stitching or sealing along the edges 31 is a complete hermetic seal which produces the opening slit 32 at the end of the pliable flats 28 and 30. Thus, with the flutter valve 16 in place on the fitment 13 and the cap 1 threadably secured to a dispensing bottle, the flutter valve 16 will permit the flow of air or other gas in the direction of the arrow 33 through the valve and into the bottle, as the solution contained in the bottle is dispensed into the tubing 21. However, the opening slit 32 prevents any solution or fluid from flowing between the pliable slits or flats 28 and 30, down through passage 14 and dripping from the cap structure 1.

Another important feature residing in the flutter valve 16 construction is that the strips or flats 28 and 30 may be placed in a somewhat prestretched condition at the time of the stitching or sealing operation of the longitudinal edges 31. This results in a relatively tight opening slit 32 and insures the prevention of any fluid flow through the slit 32 and into the flutter valve portion 27.

I claim:

1. A cap for use with containers to dispense and administer solutions comprising a cap body having multicavities of different diametrical width to fit corresponding diametrical mouths of solution-containing containers, each of said cavities having its own wall section, threaded means on each of said wall sections, a first fitment havmg a passage therethrough and extending into said cap from the innermost of said cavities, a check valve secured to the end of said first fitment, a second fitment having a passage therethrough and extending from the innermost of said cavities.

2. The cap of claim 1 characterized in that said fitments are provided with aligned annular ribs to provide an impervious sealed engagement with tubular members to be joined therewith.

3. The cap of claim 2 characterized by perimetral annular ribs on the bottom of each of said cavities for impervious sealed engagement with the mouth of solution-containing containers.

4. The cap of claim 2 characterized in that said check valve comprises a tubular portion secured in impervious sealed engagement with said first fitment, a flutter strip secured at one end to said tubular portion and consisting of two pliable flats hermetically stitched together along their longitudinal edges to provide a slit opening at its other end.

5. The cap of claim 1 characterized in that said check valve comprises a tubular portion for impervious sealed engagement with said first fitment, a flutter strip secured at one end to said tubular portion and consisting of two pliable flats sealed together along their longitudinal edges to provide a slit opening at its other end to permit the one-way passage of gas from between said sealed flats proceeding from said tubular portion end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 141,587 8/1873 Painter 137-5251 2,500,199 3/1950 Nesset 21579 X 2,812,117 11/1957 Butkus et al. 128272 X 3,216,418 11/1965 Scislowicz 128-214 3,355,047 11/1967 De Sole 215-11 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

